An easy 3-ingredient recipe for flourless paleo vegan pumpkin brownies! Super fudgy, gooey and secretly low carb, it’s also keto-friendly, healthy and packed with protein!
Healthy Flourless Pumpkin Brownies
For a vegetable, pumpkin certainly bodes VERY well in sweet recipes. I’m not going to lie, I get a little excited when Fall/Autumn comes around because I cannot wait to start sharing a plethora of healthy pumpkin recipes!
Growing up, pumpkin was never something I ate regularly, let alone in desserts. Sure, I’d occasionally have pumpkin pie or a pumpkin pudding but really, those occasions were VERY rare.
Ever since I started experimenting with healthy baking recipes, I found a strong preference is using pumpkin puree. Like applesauce, it could replace butter and/or oil, and add a delicious moisture and tenderness to my recipes.
Is pumpkin a low carb food?
While pumpkin is generally carbohydrate-based, it’s actually considered a low-carb food. Compared to many fruits and vegetables, the low carb count (8 grams per full cup) makes it perfect to include as part of a low carb diet.
Besides, when used in recipes, the carb count is reduced further!
Can I have pumpkin on keto?
Contrary to popular belief (and the fact that pumpkin is primarily a carb!), you can certainly enjoy pumpkin on a ketogenic diet!
As mentioned, it does contain carbs, but it also contains a ton of fiber! The net carbs are ridiculously negligible. When using pumpkin in keto recipes, the carbs and natural sugars contained in them are mixed with other ingredients.
Healthy Pumpkin Brownies- A guilt-free dessert fix!
Traditional brownies are considered a ‘treat’ food, or something to enjoy in moderation. These healthy flourless pumpkin brownies are the opposite.
They contain no eggs, no sugar, and no dairy, and can be an acceptable healthy dessert or post-dinner treat. The brownies are super gooey, fudgy and have the BEST texture.
To make these Flourless Paleo Vegan Pumpkin Brownies, you only need three ingredients-
- Pumpkin puree (unsweetened)
- Cocoa Powder
- Nut or Seed Butter of choice
- Optional liquid sweetener
I prefer using pumpkin from a can, as it’s already the consistency I need for these pumpkin brownies. If you use canned pumpkin, ensure it is NOT pumpkin pie filling- that stuff is already pre-sweetened!
For those without access to canned pumpkin, you can easily make your own! Simply steam or boil your pumpkin (butternut works best) until extremely tender and mashable. Allow cooling completely before blending/pureeing.
These flourless pumpkin brownies are NOT overly sweet. They are perfect for those looking for a rich, fudgy chocolate treat.
Any baking cocoa powder works well, just ensure it is 100% cocoa powder. For those who prefer a richer, darker chocolate taste, I do like using dark or black cocoa powder.
The nut or seed butter you use provides a delicious satisfying flavor and richness to the flourless pumpkin brownies. I tend to use smooth almond butter, as it is mild tasting but use whatever you like! Please note that peanut butter is extremely overpowering, so unless your a huge peanut butter fan, use something else!
The liquid sweetener is optional, but I highly recommend it. Without it, the brownies are VERY rich and quite bitter. I added a few drops of liquid stevia, which provided ample sweetness.
To take these flourless brownies up a notch, add my favorite 2-ingredient chocolate frosting recipe- Simply combine canned coconut cream with your favorite chocolate chips. If you don’t follow a ketogenic diet but want a healthy frosting, my 4-ingredient healthy chocolate frosting is a fantastic option!
Recommended Ingredients to make these 3-Ingredient Flourless Paleo Vegan Pumpkin Brownies-
Flourless Paleo Vegan Pumpkin Brownies (Keto, Low Carb)
Ingredients
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 cup almond butter can use any smooth nut or seed butter of choice
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 serving liquid stevia I used 5-6 drops
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a small 8 x 8-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all your ingredients and mix very well, until fully incorporated.
- Pour pumpkin brownie batter into the lined pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out just clean. Allow to cool in the pan completely before either frosting or slicing into bars.
Notes
Nutrition
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Can we use stevia powder instead of liquid?
You could, but it will be slightly more gritty 🙂
Can you taste the pumpkin? I am ready for fall and all recipes that have pumpkin in them 🙂
Can’t wait to make these to keep on hand in the freezer! I’ve made these before with the banana version 🙂
Could I make these without the nut butter-so only pumpkin and cacao? If banana + cacao works this might as well?
You can, it doesn’t taste very good though
I’ve been making these for almost a year, and I absolutely love them. However, I found that even if I under-baked them as suggested, the brownies would sometimes get dense and gluey. I discovered the solution by accident one day: I didn’t have quite enough nut butter, so I subbed an equal amount of softened cream cheese. What a difference! Now I always add 2 oz. of cream cheese to the recipe (not subbing for the nut butter, just 2 oz. in addition to the full recipe), and they are always the perfect consistency. I make this almost every week!
Thanks so much for the suggestion!